Step-ladder.



W. J. BLUNDBLL.

STEP LADDER.

.27, 1909. 949,614., Patented Feb. 15, 1910.

2 SHEETS SHEET 1.

INVENTOR Ziam JBZun dell 8y Arm/mm WITNESSES W. J. BLUNDELL.

Patented Feb. 15, 1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

llVVE/VT Wil Z1 2772 JBZundelZ UNITED 8TATF1S PiIENT OFFIQE.

WILLIAM J. BLUNDELL, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

STEP-LADDER.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, IVILLIAM J. BLUN- DELL, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of New York, borough of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved StepLadder, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to certain improvements in collapsible step-ladders, and more particularly to that type of ladder disclosed in my prior patent No. 878,332, issued February 4c, 1908. In my prior patent above referred to, I illustrate a ladder in which legs are connectedto the side rails and movable in respect thereto, and in which the side rails of the ladder are so connected to the treads that the ladder may be collapsed in its own plane.

One object of my present invention is to so construct the side rails and legs of the ladder that each may be separated into two sections, and one of the sections replaced by a shorter section to produce a step-ladder of shorter length.

A further object of my invention is to so construct the side rails and legs that they may be spread apart at their lower ends to provide a proper base for the ladder.

Other important features of my invention will be set forth more fully hereinafter and particularly pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures, and in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of a stepladder constructed to embody all of the features of my present invention; Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a step-ladder embodying the lower portion of the step-ladder shown in Fig. 1, and a separate and shorter upper section secured thereto; and Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal section through one of the treads and taken on the line 33 of Fig. 1.

In the specific form of ladder illustrated in the accompanying drawings. I employ two side rails for supporting the several treads and to each side rail is hingedly connected a supporting leg, the general arrangement of parts being substantially the same as illustrated in my previous patent. One of the side rails is formed of two separate bars 10 and 11 spaced apart and held Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 27, 1909.

Patented Feb. 15, 1210.

Serial No. 492,557.

rigid in respect to each other by a connecting piece 12 at the lower end and a connecting piece 13 at the upper end. The other side rail is formed of two bars 11 and 15 connected together by lower and upper connecting member. 16 and 17. These connecting members 12, 13, 16 and 17 do not extend at right angles to their respective bars, as the step ladder is adapted to extend at an angle to the vertical and the connecting bars are adapted to extend substantially horizontally.

Intermediate the connecting members, the side bars of each side rail are connected together by a plurality 01. rods 18, each extending at right angles to its adjacent bars, said rods serving as the supports for the treads. A plurality of treads 19, 20, 21 and 22 are provided, each of which extends through between the two bars of each side rail and from one side rail to the other. Each tread is so formed that its upper surface will lie in a substantially horizontal plane, and at an angle to the corresponding rods 18, when the ladder is in extended position. To secure this result, the treads may each be somewhat thiclrer at its rear edge than at its front edge, as illustrated.

For attaching the treads to the rods, each tread at one end is provided with a trans verse bar 23, extending transversely of the tread along its under side and provided with depending flanges 24 to receive the corresponding rod 18, which extends from the bar 10 to the bar 11. At the opposite end of the tread, it is provided with a bar 25 of considerably greater width but similarly disposed and terminating at its ends in downwardly-extending flanges 26, each having a slot therein extending longitudinally of the tread. These slots serve to receive therods 18 of the other side rail, that is, the one formed of the bars 1 1 and 15. The apertures in the flanges 2 1 serve to pivotally connect the treads to the bars 10 and 11, while the slots in the flanges 26 serve to pivotally connect the treads to the bars 14: and 15, and, at the same time, to permit the lower ends of the bars 14: and 15 to be moved toward or from the lower ends of the bars 10 and 11 a distance dependent upon the length of the slots. The slots in the flanges 26 of the lower tread are of such length that when the two side rails are in parallelism, the rods will come adjacent the inner ends of the slots, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 3,

while when the bars are spread apart to their limiting positions, the rods will be at the outer ends of the slots, as indicated in solid lines in Fig. 3. The length of the slots of the flanges 26 of the several treads decreases from the lowest tread 19 to the upper tread 22.

At the upper end of the ladder, I provide a top or platform 27, pivotally connected to the upper ends of both of the side rails. This top or platform carries a transverselyextending bar 28 along the under side at each end thereof, and each bar 28 is provided with downwardly-extending terminal flanges 29 and 30. The flanges 30 adjacent the rear edge of the platform extend downwardly to a considerably greater distance than do the flanges 29 at the front edge of the platform, the difference being due to the horizontal disposal of the platform and the inclined position of the treads. The bars of the side rails are provided with side plates 31 and 32 pivotally connected to these flanges, so that the connecting pieces 13 and 17 lie adjacent the under side of the top or platform 27 when the ladder is in extended position, to directly support the ladder, but when the two side rails are in parallelism, one may be moved longitudinally in respect to the other to bring the side rails closely adjacent each other, to obtain the same general effect as obtained in the ladder disclosed in my prior patent; but in my present construction, the lowest tread 19 is of considerably greater length than the upper tread 22, so that the side bars 14 and 15 have a movement longitudinally of the treads to bring the side members into parallelism to permit the ladder to be collapsed.

After the ladder has been opened or the side members separated to bring the treads parallel to the rails, the two rails may be spread apart at the lower end by moving the bars 14 and 15 longitudinally of the treads. This affords a broader base to the ladder and renders the structure far morc stable.

For locking the side rails in their distended position, 1 provide a brace including two slotted bars 33 and 34 slidably connected together and pivotally connected to the side rails at opposite points. The bar 33 is preferably provided with inwardly-extending flanges to inclose the bar 34, and the two bars are provided with slots in registry with each other. A brace 35 is pivotally connected to the bar 15 at a point below the pivotal connection of the bar 33 with the bar 15, and a bolt extends through the upper end of this brace and through the slots of both of the bars 33 and 34. By loosening a thumb nut or butterfly nut 36 on this bolt, the two bars 33 and 34 may be moved longitudinally in respect to each other, to permit the side rails to be brought into parallelism, and during the collapsing of the ladder, the bolt may move longitudinally of the slots of both of the bars 33 and 34.

For supporting the ladder proper in an inclined position, I provide two leg members 3'? and 38, hingedly connected to the two bars 11. and 15 adjacent the upper ends of the latter. The lower ends of these leg members are movable toward the ladder proper, as is common in ladder construction. Any suitable form of links 39 having rulejoints 40, connect the leg members with the ladder midway of its height. In order to permit the lower ends of the leg members to move toward and from each other to bring them into parallelism for collapsing the ladder, or spreading them apart for bracing the ladder, slotted telescoping bars 41 and 42 and a brace 43 are provided, corresponding with the slotted bars 33 and 34 and the brace 35 of the ladder proper. An additional slotted connecting link 44 may connect the leg members adjacent the lower ends.

A shelf, illustrated in my prior patent, may be employed in the present construc tion, said shelf including side members 45 pivotally connected to the leg members 37 and 38 and supported beneath the upper tread 22.

By bringing the leg members toward the side rails of the ladder, then bringing the side rails and leg members into parallel positions, and, third, by moving one side rail and its leg member longitudinally in respect to the other, the ladder may be collapsed to occupy a comparatively small space, but in case it is desired to shorten the ladder and permit it to be easily carried on a street car, for instance, the several bars 10, 11, 14 and 15, and the two leg members 37 and 38 are each formed of two sections normally secured together but separable to facilitate the carrying of the collapsed ladder.

In place of the upper section, a separate top or platform may be employed to form a step -ladder of only about one-half the height of the complete ladder shown in Fig. 1. As illustrated, the side bars 10, 11, 14 and 15 are provided with upper sections 10', 11, 14 and 15, each detachable from the lower sections. Preferably, each lower section is provided with a rectangular metal sleeve 46, which receives the reduced lower end of the upper section, so as to hold the ladder will operate in identically the same manner as though each leg member and each side bar were formed of a single integral piece from the lower end to the upper end. When it is desired to shorten the ladder, each upper section may be pulled out of its corresponding sleeve either before or after the ladder is collapsed, and the ladder will thus be subdivided into two separate and distinct sections. In case only a short ladder is needed, I employ an auxiliary top 48 of substantially the same form and size as the top 27, but having four leg sections 49, 50, 51 and 52, rigid therewith. These four leg sections may enter the sleeves 46 of the lower portion of the ladder and will hold the ladder in spaced relationship and prevent the ladder from collapsing. hen the auxiliary top or platform 48 is employed, the jointed braces 39 are no longer needed, but the upper ends of the sleeves 47 of the leg members are brought closely adj acent the sleeves 46 on the side bars 11 and 15 and pivotally secured thereto. The sleeves 47 are each provided with side flanges 58 for engagement with the sides of the sleeves 46, and each sleeve 47 carries a pin 54 attached thereto by a short chain. When the auxiliary top 48 shown in Fig. 2 is employed, the flanges 53 are brought adjacent the sides of the sleeves and are secured thereto by the pins 54. These pins extend entirely through the sleeves 46 from one side to the other and serve not only to hold the upper ends of the leg members to the side bars of the ladder proper, but they also pass through apertures in the lower ends of the leg sections 50 and 52 to bring the latter into place. The side bars 11 and 15 of the ladder carry brace bars 55 pivoted at their lower ends and having their upper ends normally held in engagement with the side bars. With both of the sections of the ladder employed as illustrated in Fig. 1, these brace bars perform no particular function, but when the auxiliary top 48 is employed, these bars have their upper ends secured to pins 56 on the leg members 37 and 38. as illustrated in Fig. 2.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. A ladder including oppositely-disposed side rails, treads pivotally connected to said side rails, to permit the ladder to be collapsed in its own plane, the lower ends of said side rails being spaced apart to a greater distance than the upper ends of said side rails, and said side rails being movable to parallel positions to permit said collaps ing of the ladder, a brace connecting said side rails and including two slidably connected sections, a second brace pivotally connected to one of said side rails, and means for connecting the opposite end of said second-mentioned brace to the first-mentioned brace and for simultaneously securing together the sections of the first-mentioned brace against longitudinal movement.

2. A ladder including oppositely-disposed side rails, treads connecting said side rails, said ladder being collapsible in its own plane, legs connected to said side rails and movable in respect thereto, said side rails being separable into two sections intermediate their ends, and a top or v platform having means for detachably securing it to the upper ends of the lower sections of the side rails to hold the latter against collaps- 3. A ladder, including oppositely-disposed side rails, treads connecting said rails, said ladder being collapsible in its own plane, legs connected to said side rails and movable in respect thereto, said side rails and said legs being each separable into two sections intermediate their ends, and means for securing the upper ends of the lower sections of the leg members to the upper ends of the lower section of the side rails.

4. A ladder, including oppositely-disposed side rails, treads connecting said rails, said ladder being collapsible in its own plane, legs connected to said side rails and movable in respect thereto, said side rails and said legs being each separable into two sections intermediate their ends, means for securing the upper ends of the lower section of the leg members to the upper ends of the lower section of the side rails, and an auxiliary top or platform adapted to be secured to the upper ends of the lower sections of the side rails.

5. A ladder, including oppositely-disposed side rails, treads connecting said rails, legs connected to said side rails adjacent their upper ends and movable in respect thereto, said side rails and said legs being separable into two sections intermediate their ends, and means for securing the upper ends of the lower sections of the leg members to the upper ends of the lower sections of the side rails.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

lVILLIAM J. BLUNDELL. WVitnesses CLAIR V. FAIRBANK, PHILIP D. ROLLHAUS. 

